To continue on from my post of last week distillers will
usually buy the grapes in from local farmers to press and ferment them into
what is a pretty harsh wine. They say the worst wine makes the best cognac but
it is important that the wine is free of any blemishes that would make for an
inferior final product.
The harsh unaged wine is then put into what is called locally an alembic
Charentais/Cognacais or what we refer to as a pot still. Pot stills are also
used to make the finest single malt whiskey. Designed by the Dutch during the
17th Century the still consists of a huge copper kettle pot or boiler encased
in a brick framework with an open air furnace underneath. A pipe shaped like a
swan's neck juts out from the hood on top of the boiler. This will carry the
vapours from the kettle pot past a pre heater to a condenser coil which is
immersed in cold running water. The change in temperature causes the vapour to
turn to liquid.
To get more info about The Making of Cognac ? Please Visit:
Waiter Extraordinaire by Steve Nicolle
An interesting note is the material used in the
still is pure copper. The reason being is pure copper is strong enough to
withstand the high acids of the wine as compared to other metals which would
dissolve. Eventually as the stills get older the copper will build up a
resistance to the acids but a new still can leave traces of copper in the wine
which will disappear after about a year of cask ageing. This is known as the
gout de cuivre.
The two important decisions that have to be made by the distiller is what size of pot to use and whether to use a pre-heater. A small pot will make more distinctive brandies while a larger one will make a smooth brandy with less character. Some believe using a pre heater will speed up the distilling process saving on time and fuel while others believe not using one will give the final product much more originality and character.
To read more about The Making of Cognac Please Visit :
Waiter Extraordinaire by Steve Nicolle
The two important decisions that have to be made by the distiller is what size of pot to use and whether to use a pre-heater. A small pot will make more distinctive brandies while a larger one will make a smooth brandy with less character. Some believe using a pre heater will speed up the distilling process saving on time and fuel while others believe not using one will give the final product much more originality and character.
To read more about The Making of Cognac Please Visit :
Waiter Extraordinaire by Steve Nicolle
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